AMERICAN AGRICULTURE BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER OVER THE HOLIDAYS.

Christmas and other December holidays are steeped in a variety of traditions, but perhaps there is no other time of the year when celebrations revolve so strongly around U.S. agricultural products and thoughts of farm life.
Christmas and holiday cards, trees, meals—all focal points of the holiday season—have strong ties to American agriculture. Although relatively few Americans have personal connections with farms, rustic farm scenes remain popular images on Christmas and holiday cards symbolizing a warm, nostalgic view of the life people long for during the holiday season.

Most holiday traditions begin on the farm, as each year, some 25 million to 36 million fresh-cut Christmas trees find their way into American homes.

    

The trees are supplied by some 15,000–20,000 tree farms, found in almost every state.
Food from America’s farms and ranches provide the social centerpiece for holiday gatherings, whether it’s the hors d’oeuvres for the holiday party, crackers and cheese for visiting friends, or the main holiday meals that bring families together.

American holiday meal traditions trace their origins to the meals served in the home countries of immigrants who have come to America, but the evolution of agriculture has continuously improved the assortment on the holiday table.

Most holiday meals are built around meat. Turkey, beef, goose, lamb, venison, rabbit, duck and pheasant, and pork, were popular in England, and appeared on American Christmas dinner menus as early as the 1600s. Turkey, ham and roast beef remain the most popular meats served at American holiday meals. Hams have been featured in December celebrations in many countries for centuries. At one time in the U.S., turkeys were kept on farms because they required little care and could be used to feed a crowd without economic sacrifice. Chickens had more economic value for egg production, as cows did for milk, and the commercial beef industry didn’t evolve until the 19th century. Now, modern farming practices make them all readily available.

By the late 1700s, holiday menus included ice cream, acorn squash, lima beans, sweet potatoes, raisins and nuts, cranberries, plums, peaches, and apples and cherries for pies.

In the pioneer days, American Christmas menus depended on location, economics, home situations, and heritage. People in larger cities—as well as those living on or near farms—tended to have more access to a broad range of food items than those living in outposts, camps or wilderness areas. By the early 1900s, agricultural expansion made it possible to incorporate lettuce, oranges, celery, grapefruit and other fresh fruits and vegetables into holiday meals.

Although Americans spend more on food in December than any other month, a traditional holiday meal with all of the trimmings remains a bargain. A holiday meal with turkey as the centerpiece costs about $5-$6 per person—less than the price of a burger, fries and soft drink at a fast-food restaurant. Dinner with ham, roast beef or prime rib is slightly higher, but still as little as $10-$12 a person, and less than the cost of lunch at a fast-casual restaurant.

While still a bargain, the real value of a holiday meal is priceless: the true worth comes from the fellowship and joy of gathering family and friends around the table to celebrate. From the scent of a Christmas tree to the smells and tastes of a holiday meal, America’s farmers and ranchers are happy to play their role in making it all possible.

On behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers, and all involved in American agriculture, have a joyous and safe holiday season, and best wishes for the New Year. BY ROBERT GIBLIN.

6 THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT HERBICIDE.

Think you’ve heard it all about herbicide-resistant weeds? Here are six often-overlooked facts about them to consider as you ready your weed-management plan for the coming growing season in 2017.

1. They’re not new. “The first resistant weeds to atrazine were reported in 1970,” says Ian Heap, director of the International Survey of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds (weedscience.org). At latest count, arazine (Group 5) has had 235 reported cases worldwide of weed resistance.

“The interesting thing is, we’ve known how to combat weed resistance for most of that time, too,” Heap says. Herbicide labels from the 1980s – before Roundup Ready was in anyone’s vocabulary – encouraged chemical rotation, full-use rates, and herbicide use only when necessary.

2. More are en route every year. Heap says, on average, 11 new cases of herbicide-resistant weeds are reported annually by weed scientists somewhere in the world. That’s been a steady pace for about 30 years. Up through 2015, 461 unique cases were documented, involving 247 weed species.

The reason there are two different numbers – 461 unique cases of 247 weed species – is that many weed species now show resistance to multiple chemicals. For instance, Heap says, wild oat shows resistance to five different herbicide classes, putting it on the list of unique cases five times.

Meanwhile, rigid ryegrass is resistant to 11 classes. About 90 weed species are resistant to more than one herbicide.

Corn used to be the crop most impacted, but now it’s wheat, Heap says. About 130 weeds that are significant to wheat growers are resistant to at least one herbicide. Corn has about 100 resistant weeds, and soybeans and rice have about 80.

3. They’re bigger than glyphosate. Weeds that resist glyphosate in herbicide-tolerant systems may get the most attention. That’s especially true in North America, where Roundup Ready soybeans burst onto the scene and dominated the weed-control market in just a few years, says Heap. The class of herbicides known as ALS inhibitors (such as Pursuit and Accent) actually has had the fastest worldwide growth in resistance in recent years, followed by PSII inhibitors (such as Buctril).

Worldwide, there are 56 registered ALS inhibitors on the market and 26 PSII inhibitors, compared with just one glyphosate. Hence, the former two classes lead the resistance race.

Part of the problem associated with the Roundup Ready era is that it’s been 30 years since we’ve discovered a new class of herbicides, Heap says.

“Glyphosate came along, and people thought it was game over. They (agricultural chemical companies) shut down their discovery programs,” he says.

“What is concerning are the herbicide groups 14 and 27,” says Mike Owen, Iowa State University Extension weed specialist. Group 14 herbicides are the PPO inhibitors (like Cobra and Flexstar). Group 27 herbicides are the HPPD inhibitors (like Balance Flexx and Callisto).

These have been popular alternatives where glyphosate resistance has surfaced. Yet, even in 2011, the estimated percentage of waterhemp in sampled fields estimated Group 14 resistance at 10% to 12%. With group 27, the resistance was estimated at 24% to 27%. Continued use will only raise these numbers.

4. They’re everywhere. North America does have the most resistant weed cases (over 160 and counting). However, western Europe has over 100 cases now. China is growing fast with over 40 resistant weeds, compared with just 15 in 2010.

“Countries with cheap labor sources have the fewest cases of resistant weeds,” says Heap.
5. There are 7 top offenders. Of the 32 weed species resistant to glyphosate, only seven actually account for about 99% of the economic losses, says Heap. Here is the biggest offenders list.

• Giant dogweed
• Johnsongrass
• Marestail (horseweed)
• Palmer amaranth 
• Rigid ryegrass
• Sourgrass
• Tall waterhemp 

For good measure, Heap adds kochia. It dries out and becomes a tumbleweed, spreading seeds as it rolls. It may soon crack his worst-offenders list.

6. You can keep track of herbicide-resistant weeds.

 A website (weedscience.org) is devoted exclusively to this topic and is managed by Heap. Public and private industry weed scientists in over 80 countries use the site to track new cases with updates and maps by state, region, crops, sites of action, and much more. BY GIL GULLICKSON.

WAYS TO IMPROOVE CATTLE GAINS.

Supplemental feed for pasture cattle can pump up gains, but there’s a downside. You have the daily chore of hand-feeding, maybe in a remote location.

There’s a solution for that. A feed program from Kent called Exact Beef CIT (controlled intake technology) lets you control the daily feed intake, even from a self-feeder. Kent beef nutritionist Steve Sachtleben, who developed the program, lists several advantages.

• You control the amount. Exact Beef CIT controls intake through a proprietary blend of ingredients, he explains. The level of Exact Beef CIT can be varied from 10% to 90% of the total mix. It will self-limit daily intake to about 0.5% to 2% of the animal’s body weight, or 3 to 12 pounds of feed consumed per day.
• It is more economical. Previous feed-limiting programs were usually based on fish oil. Exact Beef CIT is not, Sachtleben says, so it’s not subject to availability and wide price swings.
• It fits many operations. The program can work where limiting the supplemental feed intake is desired, such as cow-calf, stocker, creep feeds, and breeding stock. 
• A pasture can be stocked at a higher rate. “The dry feed consumed from the self-feeder will generally reduce the amount of forage consumed by the same amount,” says Sachtleben. “If less grass is consumed, more cattle can graze.”
• You save on labor. Exact Beef CIT may require only one trip to the field per week to refill the self-feeder, compared with daily hand-feeding in a bunk, says Sachtleben. “It provides an economic return if you have limited time for daily feeding.”

Angus seedstock producer Brian Marshall has used the program for developing heifers and sometimes for cows, too.

The Malta Bend, Missourian varies the ratio of Exact Beef to corn to control consumption. For grazing heifers, a ratio of 60% Exact Beef and 40% corn will give 5 to 7 pounds of daily intake.
“I get an additional 1.5 to 2 pounds of gain per head per day compared with no supplement,” says Marshall. BY GENE JOHNSTON.

3 BIG THINGS TODAY.

1. Soybeans, Corn Slightly Lower on Last Trading Day Before Christmas
Soybeans and corn were slightly lower in overnight trading on the last trading day before the Christmas break as more rain is forecast in South American growing areas.

About 2 inches of rain are expected in parts of the Argentina growing states of Cordoba and Buenos Aires, aiding soybeans and corn in the same areas where rain fell last week, Commodity Weather Group said in a report.

Showers are expected to shift tonight, improving conditions for the 30% of soybeans and corn that are still dry in the country, CWG said.
Brazil crops also will get rain as showers continue in the center-west and center-south growing regions, the forecaster said. There is still a chance that dryness will build in Bahia, which includes about 10% to 15% of Brazil’s corn and soybeans.

Soybean futures for January delivery fell ½ cent to $9.94 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Soymeal declined 70 cents to $312.60 a short ton, and soy oil rose 0.20 cent to 35.29 cents a pound.
Corn futures for March delivery fell a penny to $3.46 ¼ a bushel in Chicago.

Wheat futures for March delivery was unchanged at $3.97 a bushel overnight. Kansas City wheat was down ½ cent to $4.07 ½ a bushel

.2. Corn, Bean Sales Down Week-to-Week, Still Relatively Strong as Wheat Falls
Corn and soybean sales were down from the prior week but were still relatively strong in the seven days through Dec. 15, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.

Corn sales totaled 1.25 million metric tons last week, down 18% from the prior week and 8% from the previous four-week average, the USDA said, but anything above a million tons is still pretty strong.
Japan was the biggest buyer, purchasing 535,800 metric tons, followed by Mexico, which took 372,200 tons. South Korea bought 125,000 tons, Chile took 89,000 tons and Saudi Arabia purchased 74,800 tons, the government said. Unknown buyers canceled a purchase of 176,400 tons and Egypt canceled a buy of 33,100 tons.

Soybean sales totaled 1.81 million tons, down 10% from the prior week but up 9% from the four-week average, according to the USDA.

China, as is normal, was the big buyer at 1.25 million tons, followed by Thailand’s 85,300 tons. Japan was next on the list at 66,600 tons, Taiwan bought 66,400 tons and France took 66,000 tons, according to the USDA.

Wheat sales came in at 297,800 tons, down 44% from the prior week and 47% from the four-week average. Nigeria was the big buyer at 101,700 tons, Mozambique and Indonesia both bought 42,000 tons, Japan purchased 41,700 tons and Mexico took 31,300 tons

.3. Central, Northern Plains in For White Christmas, NWS Says
People in parts of the central Midwest and northern Plains who’ve been dreaming of a white Christmas may get their wish.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for much of the Midwest this morning as snow and wind are expected in parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service. As much as 6 inches of snow are expected in the region along with 25-mile-an-hour winds that will reduce visibility and make travel dangerous, the NWS said.


Meanwhile, the northern Plains continues to get blasted by a winter storm.
Pretty much all of North Dakota is in a blizzard for the weekend as another foot of snow may fall in the state, according to the forecaster. “Very strong winds” will make travel extremely dangerous on Sunday and Monday, the report said.
Get involved in the discussion in Marketing Talk. BY TONY DREIBUS.

FARMERS WILL SOON GET WORLD CLASS GRANULATED UREA, NPK INDORAMA.

Indorama, one of the largest producers of urea fertilizer in Nigeria has said farmers in the country will soon have access to its new product, the granulated urea and NPK fertilizer, for their crop production nationwide.

 

 

Anand Kumara, an official of the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited (IEPL), a subsidiary of Indorama Corporation based in Port Harcourt, producing urea fertiliser stated this during the just concluded Daily Trust Agric confab in Abuja.

 

 

“In the nearest future, we hope to sell the granulated urea to more farmers and in every corner of Nigeria. We are trying to see if we can also launch the NPK into the Nigerian market. The fertilizer is going to be affordable and cheap to farmers, although the prices will vary in places due to transportation,” he explained.

 

 

According to him, the company currently has a production capacity of 1.4 million metric tonnes a year.

Speaking on the distribution channel, he said, “There are certain ways in the distribution channels; first of all, we give to our dealers, from the dealers, it goes straight to the retailers and from them, it goes to the farmers.

 

 

“What we are doing is we are starting from the primary distribution channels, which are the dealers and then the secondary distribution channels which are the retailers. Sometimes, we supply directly to the retailers” Mr. Kumara stated.

 

 

He noted that although the current recession in the country is affecting the cost of fertilizer, “in some areas, we sell at N6,100 per bag, while in some places we sell for N6,800 per bag.” NEWS from around the world.